


From The Waves

by forget



Category: One Piece
Genre: Arranged Marriage, I don't know what I'm doing, Nonbinary Character, Other, Pre-Canon, Romance (?), Slow Burn, canon typical bullshit, may be a long fic, no promises
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-04 02:03:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13354173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forget/pseuds/forget
Summary: Sometimes you come home to your family only to realize your parent already arranged your marriage with a stranger.





	1. Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> I knew what I wanted to write here but I forgot, so. A few assorted notes: this takes place 8 years pre-canon (timeskip canon to be precise), so Katakuri is 40, main OC is 35, goes by they/them or he/him; will update the tags with time if there's the need to; this is the first thing I've written in 10 years probably so, I make no promises, but I am trying my best.  
> Also special thanks to my best friend for helping me come up with names and to my brother for editing. He is probably somewhere laughing at me right now.

For many people, reaching their home island after traveling for weeks or months at a time was a relief.

For Big Mom’s children, it all depended on her mood.

Even if their quest had been a success, they risked their life if it was a bad day, or, worse, if she was in a craving mood.

Today was apparently a good day. The citizens of Whole Cake Island greeted their ship as it docked into the port, and later Katakuri as he made his way through Sweet City to reach Whole Cake Chateu, where his mother was expecting his report.

The doors to the Queen’s chamber opened on their own to let in Katakuri, and he noticed idly that Perospero was there with her. In a few strides he was standing next to him, right in front of their mother. Though Big Mom appeared in a good mood, he noticed out of the corner of his eye his brother Perospero look at him oddly, hiding a grimace. Decades of working together and looking out for each other taught them how to communicate like this – silently, hidden. And now, it served to let the Sweet Commander know that something was up.

“MAMAMA! Welcome back, Katakuri. I hope you bring good news!”

“Yes mama, we have acquired the ingredients you requested and they have already been unloaded from my ship.” He had personally overseen the procedure to ensure that anything went as smoothly as possible. It would be foolish to risk his mother’s wrath due to some avoidable mistake.

Big Mom clapped her hands, pleased with what she heard.

“Good, you are such a good child Katakuri. I am glad I can always count on you!”

“I live to serve you, Mama.” Still, something about her tone of voice was unnerving. Big Mom wasn’t a stranger to giving praise, yet dished out insults just as often, if not more often. To receive a compliment from his mother meant either one of two things, either she was indeed pleased with him, or she wanted something.

“MAMAMA! And served me you have, and for such a long time!” She smiled down at him. “Now, I have some news for you!”

Katakuri nodded for her to continue, and she sat up, looking very pleased with herself.

“As you know we are closing an alliance with the Nautica kingdom! They have requested our help to discourage an upcoming war, and since they possess quite a few delicacies and useful ingredients I decided to accept their proposal~.”

So that was what it was.

That did not explain the face Perospero had made at his arrival, however.

“Then I imagine you are already planning the wedding?” As was custom for their family, each alliance was consolidated with a marriage, which was a good way to peacefully conclude this type of agreement, as well as to give his mother an excuse to organize a wedding, as she liked to do so much.

“Yes, yes! I am already overseeing the preparations, and your brother Perospero is helping me .“ Good, so that meant that he could go back to Wheat Island to carry on his duty as a Minister and only show up if they requested his help. Unlike his mother, he had no patience for the preparations typical of weddings and other grand events, and his help was rarely requested anyways.

That was his last thought before his observation haki alerted him of his mother’s next words.

Perospero sighed at his side, recognizing by the imperceptible widening of his eyes that he had already foreseen what she was going to say.

Certainly he had seen wrong?

“But that’s not all! Now, I know you said you would prefer to focus on being a Minister and a Sweet Commander, and that you have no mind for anything else, but I have decided this time that you will be the groom.”

It was true. In the past, back when he had been much younger, his mother had told them that she intended to marry off his siblings to secure alliances, and he had requested then that he be left out of it. As he had said, he was already busy expanding the empire and helping manage it, and he’d much rather focus on that. And besides, he had never had any interested in women, and would prefer not to marry one. His mother had seen his point and acquiesced then.

Apparently she had changed her mind.

Why now, when he was 40 years old, he didn’t know.

There was nothing he could do if she had already decided. Much like all of his siblings’, his own life was in her hands. Besides, she was already planning the wedding, and he’d much rather not upset her.

“I see. Then if that is your decision, I shall marry whomever you want.”

Perospero eyes him curiously, but once again said nothing. Katakuri knew instinctively that he wanted to let Mama explain things for now, but that he would most likely want to talk to him afterwards.

Big Mom looked very pleased with his answer, and in the end that was all that mattered.

“Very good! I have already arranged for their arrival in two days, then we will have a tea party where you will meet for the first time.” she sighed happily. He could tell she was already daydreaming about it.

He nodded, unsure of what to say. He knew the standard procedure they followed for this sort of things, but it had always been a distant knowledge, and he never could have imagined that one day he would experience it first-hand. All of a sudden he had a whole lot more sympathy for his siblings that had gone through this.

“Your spouse will be prince Connor, second son of the king.” She gestured towards the door, indicating she wanted them to leave now. “Your brother Perospero will tell you everything you need to know. Now go, I have a wedding to plan!”

“Yes Mama.”

“Leave it to me, Mama.”

With that, they both left the room, accompanied by a last reminder from the queen. “Remember to show up here tomorrow by ten in the morning for the fitting of your wedding outfit!”

“Yes, Mama.”

He internally cringed thinking about the outfit his mother was going to force on him. White, probably, maybe with a proper shirt. Terrible. At least he knew she would never ask him to remove his scarf, as she had been the one to demand he start wearing one in the first place, back when he was a young child.

With that, the door closed behind them, and without hesitation they started walking down the corridors and towards the port where Katakuri’s ship was docked.

As they walked, while he waited for Perospero to speak up, Katakuri began making a mental tally of the things he needed to sort before the following day. However he was interrupted by Perospero’s voice, as soon as he started thinking of the first thing he ought to do - go to Wheat Island and check how the wheat production had proceeded in his absence.

“Kukuku, I bet you never thought this day would come for you, little brother.”

Katakuri rolled his eyes. “Nothing I can do about it.”

The only thing he could hope for was for the whole ordeal to go smoothly and be over quickly, and for his future spouse – husband – to be agreeable. “What can you tell me about prince Connor?”

Perospero idly twirled his cane in his hand. “Mmm, straight to the point, I see.” he chuckled. “Prince Connor is, as far as we know, a beloved royal in their kingdom. Goes by they/them pronouns from what our sources say, but they don’t seem to mind if you refer to them as a man.”

He kept on listing things off his fingers. “Loves sailing and exploring, apparently is away for months or years at a time, but that will change once the two of you get married obviously. Everyone deems them as kind and open, a real catch, apparently. Kinda feel bad for them.”

Katakuri stared at him blankly, conveying just how nonplussed he was at his brother’s jab without changing expression or saying a word. Perospero laughed and shook his head.

“You let me tell you all that but you could have stopped me before I even started talking, since you already knew what I would say.”

“I know you like running your mouth.”

Perospero thwacked him with his cane. “Asshole.” he said with a smile.

Katakuri batted it away idly, saying nothing. They both knew he was right, Perospero loved the spotlight and loved talking, and Katakuri preferred staying silent, so unless he was in a hurry he would just let him talk as he pleased – and tuned him out most of the time, but his brother never noticed.

“I don’t understand why mama picked me out of all of our siblings.” he admitted after a short silence.

Perospero threw him a glance and shrugged. “I suppose it is because Nautica is a peaceful island. Mama knows you are already busy with your duties as both Sweet Commander and Minister of Flour, so she decided to marry you off to someone who wouldn’t be trouble.” he paused, thinking it over. “And besides, you are one of the few us older siblings that hasn’t married yet, and Connor is in your age range.”

Truth to be told, he had the same question when she had announced she had chosen Katakuri for the marriage, and this was how she had explained herself. Perhaps there were other reasons as well, but Perospero had not been made privy to them.

Katakuri for his part was glad his spouse wasn’t going to be too young. An age gap too big between him and them would’ve felt weird, and he was already uncomfortable enough as it was.

They were silent for the rest of the way, save for some comment from Perospero. Normally, he would be using this short time to inform his younger brother of all the new happenings and gossips of Tottoland he missed while away, which Katakuri endured and ended up then tuning out halfway through when it proved to be mostly useless to him. As they walked through the capital, people greeted them or stopped them – especially children looking for candy from Perospero, which he happily distributed.

Soon they reached the docks where Katakuri’s ship was, ready to set sail for home, and he readied to board it.

“Brother, wait up.”

He turned around, and eyed him. “I know, brother Peros.”

Perospero shook his head, chuckling. “You _think_ you know, perorin ~, but I wonder how much thought you have put into it, really? A marriage is no joke.”

That made him hesitate, but instead of answering his brother, after a brief pause he turned around and boarded the ship, soon leaving his brother behind on the docks.

Perospero shook his head again. “Such a rude guy, perorin~”

  

* * *

  

It wasn’t exactly clear what the problem was.

This was more worrying than Connor cared to admit. Their father was usually an honest man, straight to the point, with a profound hatred for useless fanfares and decorations both in personal and official matters. This sometimes, especially with royal families unaware of his straightforward personality, bit him in the ass. The only time, in Connor’s memory, that their father had hesitated, kept quiet, and then danced around the point before he got to it had been when their mother had died, at the end of a long illness.

So, it was understandable that the fact that this behaviour had reared its ugly head back up was cause of no small amount of concern.

The fact that all the guards and the servants they met looked at them like a man walking to the gallows didn’t help at all.

They had hoped they were wrong, when they had arrived back at their home island, Nautica, and that everything they had perceived was just due to misinterpretation. Now, as they approached the massive doors that separated the consultation room – the place where the king consulted with his advisors and his family on royal matters – from the rest of the castle, they knew their hope had been in vain.

They didn’t bother knocking before entering, since they knew everyone was waiting specifically for them.

Their father, thankfully, was alright. The possibility that he was sick was a thought that had plagued their mind since they had talked to him via den den mushi the last time.

In the two years since the last time they had seen each other, their father had acquired a few sparse gray hair and some wrinkles, but, overall, he seemed younger than most men his age, and appeared in good health. His expression however, as well as the bags under his eyes and his downturned mouth, indicated that the problem, whatever that was, tortured his mind, not his body.

Next to him, talking quietly to the king, was their older sister Coral, the next in line to reign on Nautica.

Much like Connor, Coral towered above their father in height and surpassed him in strength. Unlike Connor, she was much more rooted on the island and would never think of leaving it for extended periods of time. Out of the two of them, she was without a doubt the most suitable to become the next head of the family.

Much like their father, she looked saddened, though it seemed she was trying to comfort him.

“Father! Coral!”

Both of their faces lit up when they saw Connor had arrived, and they both rushed to hug them. Whatever had caused their sadness seemed to lift from their shoulders for a moment.

“Connor! I’m so glad to see you. Are you ok? Did you have any problem on your way back?”

Connor smiled. “I’m fine. The sea is great, and we actually had good weather all the way back here.” They had developed an appreciation for the Grand Line’s unpredictable weather, especially for when, as other people put it, ‘it turned shitty’. Their father didn’t need to know that. “Next time you should come with us.”

Both Coral and his father’s expression turned sour at that.

“What? What’s the matter?” Coral was soon going to succeed him, so he was bound to have some free time, and he had already said time and again that couldn’t wait until it was time for him to retire so he could enjoy sailing with his kid. Unlike Coral, who had accepted her role as the next in line to be ruler from a young age and as such had dedicated her life to studying and training for it, Connor had had much more freedom and had employed it to travel and satisfy their need for knowledge.

Their father sighed, Coral rolled her eyes.

“You probably remember this,” she said, and the increasing annoyance could be heard in her voice. “But we have been having some troubles with one of the closer islands for a while now.”

She meant Artica. Of course they knew, they remembered far too well how frustrated their father was every time, over the years, he came back from trying to negotiate an alliance with them. Every single time nothing had come out of these negotiations save from a huge headache for everyone involved. There had always been an underlying fear in the court that one day the two countries would go to war, but nothing had ever happened. Connor had always hoped that, after so many years of utter bullshit, when the two new rulers – Coral and Polar – would take over, they would settle a truce of sorts once and for all. It seemed like the logical thing to do.

“Our spies in Artica reported that Polar is secretly gathering weapons through the Underworld brokers and he is getting ready to launch an attack against us.” Coral explained, filled with anger. “And what’s worse, apparently he is forming an alliance with other islands as well.”

Ah.

They had forgotten Polar was a dick.

“Are you saying we need to prepare for war?” They swallowed as the anxiety built up. Those were some real unpleasant news to hear first thing after getting home.

Their father shook his head. “No. We don’t know for sure what kind of weapons he is preparing, and it would be foolish to risk the lives of our men without this information. Besides I don’t even want to think about going to war. Not in my lifetime.”

Coral looked grim. “We would all die for sure. Even without the weapons, there’s just too many of them.”

Though all of that made sense to them, Connor still had trouble wrapping their head around it. They clenched their fists. “So what are we going to do then? We can’t just let them come here and kill everyone without putting up a fight.” They knew their voice was steadily rising, and they hated it. They hated losing their composure like this in front of people, even if they were their own family.

Out of the corner of their eye they noticed the guards standing around them seemed increasingly uncomfortable.

“No, Connor. We won’t have to worry about a war at all.” Coral bit her lip, clearly unhappy at whatever she was about to say. “You know about Totto Land and its Yonkou, right?”

It would’ve been hard not to, considering Totto Land was relatively close to their island and their Queen, the Yonkou Charlotte Linlin, was one of the most infamous pirates of the New World. Not to mention she was also known for her love for food, and Nautica was well known for its traditional desserts and other local ingredients used for their traditional cuisine, so of course trades were inevitable. “Hard not to.”

“The Queen has accepted our request for help.” their father said, though he did not look too thrilled at the prospect. “None will try to invade a territory under a Yonkou’s protection, but she is going to send a small army here just in case.” Though that meant they would be protected in against outside forces, Connor knew best than to let themselves be happy. Charlotte Linlin wasn’t exactly a saint, in fact she was known to be ruthless with both enemies and allies; a woman that got what she wanted with the force when alliances and manipulations didn’t work.

“However” Their father continued, looking grimmer with each word he spoke. “She posed one condition: an official alliance between our countries.”

“You mean…?”

“Exactly what you think. As tradition, one of the members of the royal family will be married with one of her children and move to Totto Land.”

Connor felt their stomach drop.

If their father was trying to say what they thought he was… with Coral unavailable for marriage as she was the heir to the throne, and their other sister lost years ago…

They looked at their father first and at Coral afterwards, their eyes full of panic and fear, but still half hoping they were wrong.

Unfortunately, they weren’t.

“Yes.” their father confirmed. “You will be the one to marry one of her children. I’m sorry.”

He looked as distraught as Connor felt.

Coral didn’t look much happy either, nor did the guards present to the scene. Though Connor couldn’t quite focus on it, they could tell that they were trying their best not to stare. A small part of Connor – the part that didn’t feel like they had been swallowed by the earth – appreciated their attempt at giving them some privacy, and they felt bad they had to see this.

They felt bad for their father as well, seeing them like this. He had done all he could to protect their island without resorting to violence, and this was the best solution he had found. Probably the only one, too, or he wouldn’t have bothered with it. If their freedom was the only sacrifice needed to save their country and the people who trusted them and their family to protect them, then it was a small price to pay.

Taking a deep breath, they tried to settle their nerves.

They could do this.

They exhaled.

“I see.” wearing a tentative smile, they continued. “Then I guess I will become Charlotte Linlin’s son-in-law.”

Everyone looked at them in surprise.

“Wait, really?” Their sister asked, being the first to shake off the surprise.

“Sure. If it’s what needs to be done, then I’d sacrifice my own life.” Admittedly, that was a very real risk when dealing with the Yonkou. Their sister knew that as well, or she would have rolled her eyes at them already. “Besides, you already agreed to it, right? It’s not like I can say no, so I may as well say yes.”

This attitude had gotten them in trouble in the past, and surely enough, it wasn’t going to stop any time soon.

Their father still looked unhappy, but he couldn’t do anything about it. At least Connor looked positive about the whole ordeal. He couldn’t say he shared the feeling.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “I should have expected you’d react like that. I am glad you have the well-being of our kingdom at heart.” Despite the situation, he was obviously proud. “I can’t believe you are going to marry.”

Connor laughed. They couldn’t believe it either. In fact, they had thought it would never happen. They had always had trouble with relationships, mainly because they had a hard time developing feelings for people they barely knew, and they didn’t care much about kissing strangers. Besides that, they had been approached in the past by people who only cared for their wealth and status, and that had completely put them off from dating. The only thing they cared about was sailing and ‘to hell with everything else’, as their younger sister had kindly put it once.

“Neither do I, but I should’ve known it would happen eventually.” Not really though, their father had been clear that, as long as they acted properly, they were free to live as they pleased.

And now they were about to become part of a pirate crew. By marrying into it.

They felt like laughing, honestly.

“You are taking it way better than we thought you would.” their sister said, though she didn’t look entirely relieved.

They felt like dying, but, to be fair, maybe they were a bit overdramatic.

“Well, mom always said to look at the positive side of things.” she probably wasn’t thinking about this specific situation, but she wasn’t around anymore to tell.

“What I’d like to know is, who am I going to marry? And when?” Anything to change the topic. If they asked a more in-depth question, they might have slipped and shown how anxious they were.

Their father shook his head. “Unfortunately, we don’t know. She didn’t want to reveal her choice, but if we are lucky it should be one of her less known children.” That would be nice, at least they wouldn’t have to worry as much. “After all it would be odd if she chose to marry you to one of her Ministers or Commanders. Even if she is interested in our island, we are peaceful and we won’t cause them trouble.”

A low effort alliance, basically.

“By the way, the wedding is in a week, and she has already started the preparations.” Coral added.

Wow, she really didn’t waste any time.

“So, what are we supposed to do meanwhile?” Not counting the days it took to get there, they would have a couple of free days to prepare hopefully.

“We are leaving tomorrow morning for Whole Cake Island. Charlotte Linlin is waiting for us for a tea party.” Their father said, immediately shooting their hopes of having some time for themselves right in the foot. “There she will reveal who you’ll marry.”

“I see. Then I better start getting ready to leave. I’ll have to prepare everything I’ll need.” Even though their father hadn’t said anything about it, they had the feeling that this would be their last night in Nautica. At least getting their things ready would give them time alone to gather their thoughts and freely panic.

Hugging their father and sister one last time, they turned to leave, only to notice the guards were wiping their eyes.

“Aw guys.”

“We will miss you, prince Connor!” They said together, huddling around them.

Chuckling, they shook their head and patted on the shoulders those they could reach. “It’s fine, I’ll be fine!”

Some were still sniffling, but they let them go.

They left the room and went straight to their quarters.

It was going to be a long night.


	2. Going Somewhere (Un)Familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to my brother again that edited this thing. Sorry this chapter might be a bit of a drag, but the interesting part is coming up in the next chapter.  
> The original title for this part was "Fuck you, fuck me, fuck this (I guess)".

Fuck Perospero.

“A marriage is no joke.”

Of course he knew it, but Perospero’s comment had been enough to make him realize he wasn’t fully considering it.

Had he not mentioned it, he wouldn’t have been so stressed right now. Of course he would’ve gotten there eventually, just with even less time to consider the whole situation and prepare for it- and he was right, besides, a marriage wasn’t something to be taken lightly. So really, Perospero had just done him a favour by reminding him exactly what situation he had unwillingly been involved in.

Perospero had even steered away all of their siblings who - like Brulee, Compote and Oven - had received the news and tried to get a hold of him to congratulate him, or those – like Cracker and Daifuku - who came to laugh at him, or those who did both - like Smoothie. He had been nothing but helpful, really.

Truth be told, he had also been the one to spread the information in the first place.

Katakuri objectively knew he was getting too worked up on this. Part of him told him that he shouldn’t worry too much over this and that over-thinking would just stress him more. However he needed to prepare his house to welcome his future consort, so he couldn’t afford the luxury of relaxing yet.

What a mess.

He never would have thought his life would get so chaotic, and his future consort hadn’t even arrived yet.

He had hoped he could spend the rest of his days serving his mother, overseeing Wheat Island, and growing old in his home where he could enjoy some privacy after a long day and stay out of sight of anyone who would judge him.

Not even the servants around the house were allowed in his quarters while he was sleeping or relaxing. They were only allowed to call him or knock on his door in case of emergency, but never to enter. And, unlike the palaces where his siblings lived, his house had a minimal number of servants and homies so that he wouldn’t need to worry about anyone unveiling his secrets.

He was more than willing to be perfect for his siblings and his mother, they needed him to and deserved the best, but he had his limits and he needed to be able to let his guard down from time to time.

With someone coming to live with him, everything would become much more difficult.

It would be much harder to keep his privacy, for one. It was absolutely vital that his future spouse never uncover his secrets. He could easily extend his protection and care to the newcomer, he was used to it and, besides, it was his duty, but sharing his space with them would be something else altogether.

A thought struck him then.

Perhaps they wouldn’t have to? He was certain prince Connor would enjoy keeping their privacy as well. In fact, he couldn’t imagine they would be very happy to get married – especially considering he was going to be their husband. He understood from a conversation with his mother the previous day, when he had gone for the fitting of the wedding outfit, that they hadn’t been told whom she had chosen to be their husband, but he didn’t expect they would be very happy once they met him anyway. Who would want to share the rest of their life with him? He already knew he was an ugly monster, and he considered himself lucky his mama wanted him by her side. And sure, people praised him for being perfect, but he wasn’t enough of a fool to believe they would think the same if they knew the truth.

That afternoon someone came to visit him once again. He was finishing fixing his spouse-to-be’s quarters, after his siblings had showed up for another round of visits. Brulee had offered all of them easy access to his house via her mirrors and not for the first time he was thankful he didn’t keep many mirrors around - or any at all in his personal quarters.

“I see you have been busy, perorin~” Perospero said as he inspected the work he had done, looking partway impressed and amused. “Mind telling me what this is all about?”

He waved at the room in front of him, where Katakuri had just set the last piece of furniture he thought Connor might want – a potted plant, because why not.

“Prince Connor will live here once we will be married.”

Perospero looked at him weirdly, as if he was a particularly interesting bug he was seeing for the first time. His expression turned somewhat sad as he kept staring at him.

“That’s never going to happen.” He said crossing his arms in front of his chest. He knew what his brother was going to suggest, and he didn’t want to have to listen to it.

The sadness shattered off Perospero’s face and he dramatically rolled his eyes at him.

“I don’t see why not. It would be good for you, to let them get close to you.” He smiled and waved at the room, but, effectively, at the rest of the house, mostly empty. “For a change.”

When Katakuri didn’t immediately reply, he continued. “You know you are going to have to if you want your marriage to work.”

Why Perospero even thought that was an option was beyond him. He was one of the few people who knew Katakuri’s secrets, so he expected him to understand, not suggest something like that. “ You know why not.”

“I think you are being a bit overdramatic. Nothing is going to happen if they uncover your ‘big secrets’.” He said, adding finger quotes to the last two words. “You might even make a friend out of them.”

Katakuri sighed, forevision allowing him to see what his brother was trying to get at. It wasn’t the first time Perospero had tried to push him to open up, but it had been a long while since the last time. Katakuri had thought his older brother had finally realized there was nothing he could do and had eventually given up, but now he was back with a vengeance. He knew Perospero had good intentions and just wished he would find the same happiness he did, but it was simply not going to work.

Katakuri decided to ignore him and, expecting Prospero to follow him, left the room.

“Uff. You could at least have shown me how you decorated their rooms,” he said as he jogged to catch up with him, cursing about his ‘damn long legs’ under his breath.

“No.”

“Afraid I will judge your work too harshly?” A beat passed before he realized he had already answered him. Even after so many years he had still a hard time at keeping up with his brother’s habit of responding to things that hadn’t been said yet. Perospero swore he did it just to show off.

“Ok, ok.” he said as he caught up with his younger brother, just as they reached the dining room. “I won’t be staying for dinner, if that is what you are offering. I already have plans.”

“I see.” Katakuri said, prompting him to continue.

“My husband has been learning how to prepare my favourite dishes and he is going to surprise me tonight,” he said, twirling his giant candy cane and giving it a slurp. “Of course I know nothing of it.”

“Of course.” Katakuri pitied Perospero’s husband, his brother could be terrifyingly cunning at times.

“Kukuku, then I’ll take my leave now. Take care brother.” he glanced at him one last time before leaving. “Will you be ok?”

Katakuri thought about Connor, a stranger, coming into his house, and the fact that he had no clue how to be a good husband.

“Yes,” he said. He wasn’t going to bother Perospero with this. In part because he didn’t want to waste his time on something he would find trivial, and in part because it was now second nature to act like everything was always under control. Most of the time it was anyway, and if he kept his cool he could certainly bring under control even what wasn’t. So that was what he was going to do.

Perospero, like the rest of their siblings, had no clue of his thoughts.

Perospero rolled his eyes internally. It was going to be a disaster.

  

* * *

 

Overall things were pretty good.

If by ‘pretty good’ one meant that they had cried as soon as they had time alone, and then again when they were preparing for their final trip the next day.

Goddamn they hated being an easy crier.

How people managed to hold their emotions in check all the time and not cry during arguments, when they were really sad or really happy, they had no clue.

No wonder their sisters always called them ‘the fountain’.

Speaking of which, someone knocked on their door and let themselves in after a few seconds, leaving them just enough time in case they needed to look presentable. Thankfully they had stopped crying at least one hour ago.

“Hey.” Coral’s voice was soft. That scared Connor more than almost anything else that day, because their sister was anything but soft.

Coral had learned as a child that she would become Queen one day and had immediately understood that she needed to be strong and responsible for everyone else. She had kicked the ass of anyone who dared say she wouldn’t be up to the task, their father’s former advisor’s included.

“Hey,” they replied, not knowing what to say. They tried to smile to put her at ease, but she just rolled her eyes at them.

“Don’t give me that, you look ghastly.”

That made them laugh genuinely. “I probably do, uh. Sorry about that.”

She dismissed their apology with a shake of her head. “What are you even apologizing for. I’d cry too if I were if I were you.”

“Now that’s a lie, I don’t think you even know how to cry.”

She huffed and looked around, taking in all of the packing up Connor had been doing.

“How do you feel about this? I know you didn’t want our father to see you unhappy, but you know I can read you like a book, right?” she had her hands on her hips, daring them to disprove her.

They raised their hands in a placating manner. Of course they knew, that was why they were expecting her visit before they left. That didn’t mean they were comfortable talking about this or particularly wanted to think about it, but she wouldn’t budge until she got the answer she wanted, so there was nothing else to do.

Connor sat heavily on a chair. “Not particularly good? I’m getting married to a pirate, the child of a Yonkou, Coral! I don’t even know if I will ever see you guys again.What if I screw up and Charlotte Linlin decides to take it out on you guys? What if I screw up and die? What if they all hate me and I’m forced to live the rest of my days inside a palace? I would die for sure.”

Connor’s words came quickly now.

Coral had sat across from them on another chair before they had gone off and spiralled down on the same train of thoughts that had made them waste a good thirty minutes panicking and crying earlier. She put a hand on their shoulder, and that alone served like an anchor. The fact that she was there, holding on them, gave them something to focus on instead of their own thoughts, and they were grateful.

“That… might happen.”

God, she was terrible at comforting people.

They chuckled despite the situation, just because of how terrible she was. “That’s not helpful at all!”

She put her free hand up, mimicking the gesture they had used earlier. “I’m just saying. She is a Yonkou, anything might happen.”

A pause, as she was evidently looking for the right words. “But… people say she is good at making alliances and maintain them, and she knows the alliance would break if anything happened to you, so I doubt she will do anything.”

That much was true.

“Granted, terrible things might still happen and we don’t have a way of knowing if you will like it there or what it will even be like, but we have to stay positive. Like mom used to say.”

“She probably wasn’t thinking about one of us getting married to a pirate though.”

“Mom _was_ a pirate, I doubt she would have a problem with you marrying one.” That was true, their mother hadn’t come from a royal family at all. Rather, their father and mother had met when she had looted his ship during a journey back home from a nearby island. Later on, they had often joked to their kids that it was love at first sight. Something about having a blade pointed at your throat, apparently, or something like that. “She would be concerned about the pirate being the child of a Yonkou, but I think she wouldn’t have minded you becoming a pirate by association.”

By that point, some of the tension and worry had already drained out, and it was easier to stay calm when thinking about the future.

“What if my spouse hates me?” They planted their face in their hand. “What if I end up marrying a total jerk?”

“Ah. You will be fine.”

Connor lifted their head from their hand to raise an eyebrow at her.

She patted them on the shoulder. “Seriously. Anyone who meets you will instantly fall for your charms.”

“My ‘ _charms_ ’.”

“You heard me. Anyone who bothers getting to know you loves you, they will be no exception,” she stated it so matter of fact, it was hard not to believe her. “Would I ever lie to you?”

Well, no. Truthfully, Coral never lied to anyone, to the point where she came across as downright rude at times. She definitely took that from their father.

Connor sighed. “Thank you, you know.”

They brushed a hand through their hair and sighed. “I feel better after talking to you. Still scared, though. Even though I know I’m too old to be acting like this.”

“Like what? Scared and anxious because you are forced into a terrifying situation? Anyone would react like you have.” She considered what she said for a moment, wondering if she had come across as too brash once again, and dismissing the thought the same second it was formed. “Actually I think others would have broken down before you.”

“Thanks,” they said again. She really was trying to comfort them, that was so sweet.

“You are going to be a great queen by the way. I just know it.” They smiled. “I’m just sad I won’t be around to see it.”

She hugged them. “I’ll miss you, you know.”

“Yeah, me too.” They yawned. It had definitely been a tiring afternoon. “I guess I should go to sleep.”

“Yes, you should.” Coral got up to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning then. I’ll come to the docks to see you off one last time.”

They hugged her one last time, and bid her goodnight.

 

* * *

 

That had been a couple of days prior, and then Coral had indeed come to say goodbye and wish them safe travel, and then they had left. Connor was granted the wish to steer the ship one last time, even as they sailed towards Totto Land.

Their father was by their side most of the journey, only sporadically leaving when his attention was needed elsewhere, or to go to sleep. He was always next to them otherwise. It was like he was trying to impress these last days in his memory before they left.

They spent most of the time steering the ship, getting some comfort in being the one to lead the ship to their future home, and then reminiscing with their father about their childhood and other things. They had to remind him more than once that they weren’t going to die, they were just getting married, but that did little to cheer up their father, who still felt guilty about having to marry them off like that.

At some point during the last stretch before entering Big Mom’s territory, she had contacted them via den den mushi to inform them that the tea party would take place as scheduled, and that she would take the opportunity then to introduce them to Connor’s future spouse.

That was something to look forward to.

Connor still didn’t quite understand why she wouldn’t just tell them outright, or if there even was a reason for her behavior. Everyone, or at least the people of Nautica and the surrounding islands, already knew of the alliance, mainly thanks to the ships Big Mom had sent as defence to the island, so what was the point of hiding the identity of their spouse? Perhaps it was one of her weakest children and she didn’t want anyone to know before the alliance was secure, they thought. No matter, they would meet them soon anyway.

Thanks to a combination of wind and decent weather, they arrived right on time to the port of Whole Cake Island. A menacing soldier was waiting for them there.

Connor was used to being taller than most of the people of Nautica by a long margin, with the exception of their sister who was even taller than them, but the man standing there waiting for them was easily taller than them, and almost three times as large.

“Fufu..you must be my future brother-in-law.” The man said, eyes fixed on them, their giant mouth twisted into a smile. “Welcome to Whole Cake Island. Mama asked me to lead you to the Chateau.”

He was wearing an armour with a biscuit motif, had a long bear and his helmet had horns on either side of his face. Looking at him, Connor finally recognized him for who he was - a Sweet Commander. That at least explained the intimidating and powerful aura, though Connor tried their best to ignore it.

“Oh, you are Charlotte Cracker, right? I have seen your bounty poster before.”

Connor at times criticized their father and sister for being too direct, but they weren’t much better. Cracker however looked pleased at the mention of his poster. “Oh, you have? Looks great, doesn’t it?”

His reaction was much more lively and benign than they had expected, and shattered the illusion of the tough and ruthless soldier he had tried to create. Seeming to realize this, Cracker reverted back to his scowling self and motioned for them to follow him. “Anyway, it’s time to go. Mama is expecting you both. You don’t want to be late.”

After quickly unloading their small cargo they started for the palace of the queen, followed by their loyal soldiers who had accompanied them all the way there. On the way to the chateau, Cracker informed them they would be staying in a guest room in the palace before the wedding took place and that their soldiers could bring their belongings there while Connor and their father talked to Big Mom, after all they wouldn’t be needed at the tea party. Cracker had refused to tell them who they were going to marry, only commenting that he pitied Connor, which wasn’t promising at all. Part of the journey was also spend informing them of the details of the wedding, the whens and wheres and hows. Before they knew it they were at the palace already.

With each step they took forward they grew more and more anxious thinking back to all the doubts and fears they had somehow managed to suppress the previous days. They felt like the sky could fall under the weight of it all as they stared at the doors in front of them. It was the only thing which divided them from their future.

Their father was on their side, like he had been for the entire journey there. He looked at them and then nodded to Cracker that they were ready.

They took a deep breath and the door swung open.


	3. Dad, No. (Or, Diplomacy Is Hard)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for the meeting! Writing Big Mom's dialogue was the hardest part, so it took a long time.  
> Also: went back and fixed previous mistales that slipped thru editing, sorry yall I am truly terrible at this  
> Next chapter: new siblings appear.

The doors opened on a room much larger than they had expected.

The theme of the palace, as well as of literally everything else on the island, was food - specifically, sweets - and this was reflected in the architecture of the buildings themselves, which looked like cakes, pastries or candies. Even those parts that did not have a strictly food-themed design still seemed vaguely edible.

The room they were currently in had the same pattern as the rest of the building, and the decorations were shaped like whipped cream and fruits and looked as if they came straight out of a patisserie. All around them were garnished stands holding various pastries, though Connor could hardly pay attention to any of them when the most important presence - the very reason they were there - was right in front of them. Why the room was taller and bigger than Connor would normally expect, it was undoubtedly clear now: in its middle, sitting on her throne in front of a table arranged for four, was the biggest woman they had ever seen, Charlotte Linlin, Queen of Totto Land. She looked benevolent with her big smile and her pink dress, but they knew better than to underestimate her.

Then Connor’s eyes fell on the smaller figure sitting at her right side, and it was as if the air had disappeared from their lungs. Charlotte Katakuri, second son and Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates, was sitting next to her with a stern expression on his face.

Oh. _Oh God_ . _Why_.

Connor had only ever seen his wanted poster before, like with the other Sweet Commanders. He was even more intimidating in real life. He was taller than his younger brother Cracker and seemed even stronger, not to mention that he had a serious and cold aura, which added to the menacing factor. Overall he looked like someone no sane man would dare to cross.

Their eyes met just as Big Mom greeted them. Though his irises were a deep red, usually what one would consider a warm colour, the gaze directed at them was cold. His eyes and the upper part of his face, along with what appeared to be twin scars on both of his cheeks, were the only visible parts, since a huge fringed scarf covered his mouth, his neck, and a big chunk of his shoulders. Katakuri was someone Connor would definitely not want to cross.

They knew they ought to be paying attention to the Queen, but the fact of the matter was that Katakuri was the only other person sitting at the table. They wondered for a moment if  this was some mistake and if there was someone else in the room they had overlooked, but no: they were the only other people in the room, and there were only two spare seats at the round table, one right in front of the queen, reserved for their father, and one in front of Katakuri himself, on the left of Charlotte Linlin.

They caught their father’s expression out of the corner of their eyes. He had probably reached the same conclusion they had, and didn’t like it.

And to think they had hoped for the very opposite of this.

“MAMAMA! Welcome to Whole Cake Island. You have arrived right on time for tea.” She leaned down to take a better look at them. “I have wanted to meet you for a while now, prince Connor.”

Before their father could butt in, Connor smiled back at her, trying not to appear as uneasy as they felt in front of her. From the way she looked at them, it seemed as if she was judging whether they would make for a tasty bite. “It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. We are truly glad you have accepted our request for an alliance.”

“Of course I did~ Nautica has so many resources we are interested in! Besides, we can offer you all the protection you need.”  She waved at the table in front of her, expecting them to take their places. “Now, there is no need to look so scared, we are allies after all, aren’t we~?”

“Ah, it’s not like that,” the king said as they took place at their seats. “We were simply surprised that Lord Katakuri is joining us as well.”

She laughed at his words. “MAMAMA! Why would you be surprised? I told you today you would meet your son’s future husband, didn’t I~?” Her grin widened, watching the king grow paler.

Connor had the distinct impression she was testing them to see if they would protest against her choice. This was just a display of dominance on her part. Of course, no smart man would protest a Yonko’s choice.

They watched in horror as their father opened his mouth, no doubt to do just that.

“We are just surprised!” Connor exclaimed, shooting their father a look. He closed his mouth, but didn’t seem pleased. Fortunately, he understood that they were just trying to keep the situation from devolving into something more unpleasant than it already was.

She turned to look at them curiously, as if she hadn’t expected them to interject like that. Even Katakuri, on her side, raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Embarrassed by the attention, Connor continued, “Because… because we didn’t think you would choose your strongest son for this, since our country is so peaceful.”

“Ahh, I see your point!” She chuckled. “Well, you see ~ that’s exactly why I chose him, so it wouldn’t interfere with his other duties. **So be a dear and be a good spouse for him, alright?** ”

They would have agreed regardless, but her tone sent a sudden chill down their spine.

 

* * *

 

Katakuri spent most of the party staring at their guests. It was important he remained vigilant in case of attempts on his mother’s life, though, even without the aid of observation haki, he could tell the two having tea with them were not a threat. Truth be told, at least in part he was also satisfying his own curiosity.

The moment they had walked in his eyes had landed automatically on Connor and had rarely left them since. He would lie if he said he hadn’t wondered about what his spouse looked like. Though he wasn’t one to care for appearances - not other people’s, at least - he would admit at least to himself that he was curious. Unfortunately it had been impossible to retrieve any photo due to their absence from their country at the time, and the king didn’t own any recent pictures or portrait of the son. So of course their presence had caught his attention.

Connor was taller than normal humans and even some of his siblings and this was likely due to their fishman blood, if the gills on both sides of their neck were any indication. When they talked he could see two sharp rows of teeth, short and wide, and they didn’t seem bothered by them at all. Their hair was tied in a ponytail, which was clearly an attempt to tame them, and flared outwards in different directions, somehow reminding him of seaweed. It didn’t help that it was a blue-green colour. Despite their appearance, they looked like they wouldn’t hurt a fly.

The remainder of the conversation between parties seemed to both dilate the time as well as condense it, and by the end Connor very much felt as if it lasted both five minutes and fifty years.

Katakuri had not talked much besides formally introducing himself and informing them he looked forward to the marriage. Connor couldn’t help but wonder if he really wanted to be there or if, like themself, he had no choice.

Then, Charlotte Linlin had shooed them off ‘to the garden’ so she could finish discussing the details of the wedding with the king. This brought a new wave of anxiety to Connor, who tried to hide it by keeping to themself. Not a difficult task, since they had no idea what to say as soon as they were alone with Katakuri. Truthfully they feared that they might say something wrong and anger him, or that their father might say something wrong and anger _her_.

At the same time, Katakuri was absorbed in his own thoughts. Now that they were alone, once again he realized he was not prepared to be a husband.

When they reached the garden, which was actually a floor of the chateau whose walls had been painted to resemble the sky, they were truly alone. As far as they could see there was nothing but grass and freshly planted flowers, although Big Mom had mentioned plans for adding benches and other structures where couples could spend time together. For now, however, it was only them and the flowers.

“You are right, we should get to know each other,” said Katakuri as glanced at Connor, who was walking by his side.

Well, that was a weird thing to say. Connor blinked up at Katakuri, who had just spoken before they could break the ice and suggest just that. “... Uhm, yes. That. How…? I was just going to say that.”

“I know.”

Well, that wasn’t very helpful, but Katakuri looked like it was the most obvious thing in the world to him. Their confusion must have been coming across clearly because he continued. “My observation haki allows me to see a few seconds in the future.”

He couldn’t quite keep it active all the time yet, but he trained constantly to achieve that.

“Oh? I wasn’t aware it was possible.” That explained why he had ‘interrupted’ them before they even began. Still they couldn’t help but wonder if experiencing the future and the present at the same time would be confusing.

“This level of observation haki requires a lot of training.”

“I see.” Connor nodded at Katakuri’s explanation. No wonder he was a Sweet Commander then. “Well, I’m really not a fighter, I can’t even use haki.”

“That won’t be a problem. You won’t have to fight here.”

Though it would be useful for Connor to learn how to fight eventually, it would be useless to bring it up now, so Katakuri decided not to mention it.

That was a relief. Not that they expected they would ever need to, but this was still a pirate crew, so it was a possibility they had considered. Despite their superhuman strength, courtesy of their fishman genes, they would still be hopeless in a fight against someone with more experience or, for example, with haki.

“I’m glad, I doubt I would be very helpful.” They paused briefly, looking to the side. Weird, they could swear they saw something out of the corner of their eye, but there was nothing besides a mirror. Shaking their head, they turned back to Katakuri. “What about you? You can probably use armament haki as well, right?”

In lieu of an answer, Katakuri simply extended his forearm towards them, only now his skin had a black sheen to it that extended almost to his elbow.

Talking with Katakuri wasn’t easy. The man still seemed cold, and Connor had to figure out what expression he was making just from his eyes. It made it difficult to read him, but at least they were talking. About haki, of all things. The ridiculousness of the situation hit them and they let out a chuckle before they could stop themself.

Katakuri looked down at them with what they interpreted as a puzzled expression, though it quickly changed back to his usual neutral demeanor. He probably had already figured out what they were laughing about.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry...!” They quickly covered their mouth with one hand to stifle their laugh and hide their embarrassment. “It’s just so weird that we somehow ended up talking about haki of all things.”

“It’s alright.”

It was a relief that he didn’t seem to mind, though his lack of reaction besides the initial surprise was weird. Absently, Connor wondered if he ever laughed, but judging from the look of it it was highly unlikely.

“It wasn’t exactly the kind of conversation I thought we would be having,” not so weird considering up until five minutes prior they weren’t even sure they would be talking to each other at all. After a brief pause, they added, “But I don’t mind, it was informative. I would like to know more about you.”

That wasn’t what Katakuri had expected. It should have been, really. After all, it was the entire point of their being there alone. It appeared Connor could be straight to the point when they wanted to be. It also seemed they weren’t as scared as Katakuri had initially assumed they would be.

Fear wasn’t exactly the first thing on Connor’s mind anymore, but it would be a lie if they said they weren’t afraid any longer. Anything could go wrong at any moment and they had to make a conscious effort not to dwell too much on this thought, lest they get overwhelmed by all the possibilities. It was best to focus on the conversation at hand. They figured that, if they could at least talk to their future husband, then maybe their marriage wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe there was something positive in this entire situation, and Connor intended to hold tight on that and never let go.

“We will have time for that.” The rest of their entire lives, to be precise. “There is no need to rush everything today.”

“Oh, of course! We have a few days before the wedding, right? And then…” they trailed off. No need to finish that sentence, both of them knew what was up ahead.

Connor wondered once again if Katakuri had been involved with the decision of the marriage or if he had been surprised with it as well. Perhaps—

“I wasn’t expecting this marriage either.”

Connor’s eyes widened in surprise. How…? Right, future sight. Getting used to it would take some time.

“Oh, uhm. Likewise. Does it bother you that you can’t choose for yourself?” Because it sure bothered them, at least at first.

“It doesn’t matter. Mama owns every aspect of our life, so this choice was in her hands from the beginning.”

Before Connor could say anything, or even really think about the implications of what Katakuri had said, the doors of the garden opened and a small group of soldiers, much like the ones they had seen throughout the whole palace, entered the room and headed straight for them. They all resembled chess pieces and were practically indistinguishable, not unlike mannequins. Connor couldn’t help but wonder if they were really people at all and immediately felt bad for wondering something like that.

“Master Katakuri! It is time to return to your duties,” they called as they approached the Sweet Commander.

“I see,” Katakuri nodded and pocketed the watch he had taken out to confirm the time.

Connor was surprised their time together was already over, but it was probably for the best. At least, they had come to take Katakuri instead than to announce something terrible - like that their father had accidentally pissed off Big Mom, for example.

“I need to go back to my duties.” Katakuri’s voice snapped them out of their thoughts. He didn’t wait for them to acquiesce before he made to leave, though probably he had already seen it happen.

“One last thing.” Katakuri turned to them, and suddenly the intimidating aura from earlier that afternoon was back. “From now on you will be under my protection. However bear in mind that I won’t hesitate to dispose of you if you turned out to be a threat.”

The fear that had slowly dissipated during their conversation was back with a vengeance, and Connor could barely nod at Katakuri’s words.

Even the chess soldiers that had come to call Katakuri looked scared, although his words hadn’t been directed at them.

Satisfied with Connor’s answer, Katakuri instructed one of the soldiers to show Connor to their temporary room and left with the others.

Connor could only stare at his back in stunned silence. Their end was definitely nigh.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I'm doing this,


End file.
